Beautiful Mess
by tmntfan4eva
Summary: She was Duncan's once, back in a time with a challenge just like this. But now she's not. She's someone else's beautiful mess. A part two to the challenge of the upcoming episode 7. Slight Duncney.


**This was inspired by a prompt I stol-er..._borrowed_. lol It isn't as in canon as my other stories though. You can pretend for now, but by Tuesday it won't be. That's because it's like a part two to the challenge for episode 7. Because episode 7 has them battling their fears or whatever. The second part for this has fears that they don't fight, they just deal with it. Much like that challenge back in tdi.**

**I just really hope you enjoy anyway! :)**

The challenge is drawing to a close and the Villainous Vultures are on the cusp of losing for a second time in a row. It burns them all up inside, but none more so than Courtney. She's had about enough of being on the losing end, especially because the odds of her being next grow higher with each time. Sure, she has Scott, but everyone else's ties with her are flimsy at best. She still can't fully trust Gwen either. One misstep and the Goth could quickly turn on her – leaving it a three to two vote with Courtney on the losing end.

Actually, when she really thinks about it maybe she doesn't trust Scott as much as she pretends. She has feelings for him and he has feelings for her, but that isn't considering the money in the equation. Who knows what either would do in the end? Courtney admits she might even turn on him when they get far enough. Feelings are irrelevant when it comes to the game. Or at least they're supposed to be.

"That's another point for the Heroic Hamsters!" Chris's voice breaks through her thoughts. An equal amount of cheers and groans follow. Courtney sighs heavily. That's it then. It's over. Nothing she can do will save her team now.

"Last, but not least," Chris grins from ear to ear. He is a malicious glint in his eyes as they fall on Courtney. "Is Courtney! Ready to face your worst fear?" He raises a brow.

Courtney scoffs. "No." She crosses her arms and drops her gaze to the ground. "It doesn't matter anyway." She frowns deeply. "They're two ahead." _Not going to make a difference… _She shudders as she hears the eerily similar words back from total drama island.

Chris's grin widens. He reads her thoughts perfectly. "Let's make this interesting then." He pauses to give her time to react. Once she sucks in a soft and her eyes widen with horror he adds, "I'll give you triple points if you can complete it."

_No…_ Her heart speeds up. _It's just like back then. _Please God don't let the challenge be the same though. She swallows hard. "W-What is it?" She bites down hard on her lip. Her knees knock together as she prepares for the inevitable.

Chris snickers. "Oh, you know." He nods slowly. "It should be painfully familiar." He steps to the side and indicates just behind him. A large tub sits there with something green being poured into it by Chef. "All the way back to season one."

Courtney lets out a soft whine. Her eyes, already wide, become even larger. Her pupils dilate and her breathing quickens. "No…" She whispers. "No! I won't do it!" She shakes her head fervently and sends her meanest glare at Chris.

"That's too bad." Chris clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Because if you don't it will be all your fault when your team loses."

Courtney seethes. "I finished me part of the challenge." She cries indignantly. She stamps a foot. "If anyone it should be Cameron who goes!" She points at him. "**He** couldn't beat that monster!"

Duncan scoffs. "Just do it already." He looks at her with clear irritation. "It's only jelly." Only it's not. It has been years, but he still remembers that challenge back in total drama island. For her it is a mortal fear. And she couldn't do it then. So why would she be able to now?

"Shut up!" Her voice is shrill to the point it cracks. She whirls around and glares daggers at him. "It's not!" Her intense expression falls into utter betrayal. "You used to know that…" She says it so softly she knows he can't hear.

Duncan doesn't hear, but he sees the truth in her eyes. His brows knit together and he slowly opens his mouth. "Courtney…" Before he can find the words to say, he catches sight of the person next to her.

"Come on Courtney." Scott gently urges. "I know you can do it." He smiles sympathetically and reaches out to take her hand. He curls his fingers around hers and squeezes gently. "Just like you said with Fang."

Courtney brings her gaze around to lock eyes with him. Her hand trembles slightly, but she can't tell if it's still from fear or his touch. There's definitely a thrilling sensation reaching up from her hand and branching out within her so she feels a fragile calm wrap around her.

Duncan growls lightly under his breath. He scowls over at them, Scott in particular. So what if Courtney isn't his anymore? That doesn't mean Scott can just move in like that and take away what little attention he still has from her. That should be him over there, not Scott.

Courtney finally nods, slowly. "Alright." Her voice wavers a little, but she holds herself together. She reluctantly slips her hand out of his and moves away. She turns to the short ladder and her heart drops to her stomach. It's much less terrifying than the drop back in total drama island, but the drop is the last thing she's worried about.

"I can do it…I can do it…" She says over and over again as she climbs. She steps off on the diving board and inches closer to the edge with the speed of a sloth. Her heart hammers against her chest, threatening to burst. Her palms sweat as does her forehead. She shakes again too as she peeks over the edge at the green substance below.

A grimace stretches across her face. "I can't do it." She wails. She slaps her hands over her eyes and takes a large step back. "Can't…can't…can't…" She cowers as if at any moment the jelly might leap out and attack her, like Fang to Scott.

Duncan has the urge to encourage her – an instinct from the past – but he is not fast enough. He never is anymore. He's only second best, if any kind of best. More than anything he's an idiot. He should have never cheated on her. He should have talked to her, worked it out.

"Come on Courtney." Scott continues to encourage. He moves closer to the edge of the tub. He tilts his head to better look up at her from his angle. "Just don't think about it. Just jump."

Courtney whines softly, her lip puffing out and trembling. She shakes her head and takes another step back. "I'm sorry." She croaks.

Alejandro snorts. "Like hell." He tromps over and grabs the plank. "We're not losing this challenge because of stupid jelly." He bends it and then releases it in a harsh motion. A wicked grin curves his lips as he watches his work.

Courtney shrieks as she lurches forward with his pull and stumbles back upon release. She scrambles to keep to her feet and retain her balance, but her flailing arms and hurried footsteps only make it worse. She soon finds herself teetering on the edge and with one last breath she tumbles backward, off and into the sea of green.

She is caught without physical harm. It is soft and bounces with her weight. However her mental state goes from slim to zero in half a second. She releases a blood curdling scream and shoots into a frenzy. She kicks and claws at the jelly to push herself up and out.

"What the hell?" Scott snarls. He turns on Alejandro and grabs him by the collar of his shirt. His eyes narrow into thin slits. "Why'd you knock her off!?"

Alejandro looks without feeling at Scott. He rolls his eyes. "I wasn't losing." He says simply. "And her cowardice was getting in the way of that. So I gave her a little…" He smirks. "…_encouragement_."

Scott growls. His lips curl back and a fire lights in his eyes. "You asshole." He slams Alejandro into the side of the tub and releases him. The ringing that results pleases him, but he is too focused to smile. He rushes around to the section closest to Courtney. "Courtney!"

Courtney doesn't hear him. Her mind is in a frenzy as her legs and arms slide through the feeble substance and it sucks her deeper into its depths. Her screams grow louder with every passing moment. "Get it off. Get it off! _Get it off!_" She slips far enough down so that she gets a mouthful of jelly. She chokes on it and for an instant her screams are silenced.

"Courtney!" Scott tries again. He bites hard on his lip. "Listen to me." He struggles to catch her eye. He throws his arms over the side and pulls himself up so more of him is visible over the edge. "You have to calm down."

Courtney resurfaces coughing and spitting. What once were screams now turn into broken wails. Sobs choke her and tears well in her eyes. Her eyes are wild with desperation as she searches for any kind of way out. "S-Scott!" She finally notices him. "Help me."

Scott leans as far over as he can without falling in. He knows if he does he'll end up trying to eat it all and ignoring Courtney. "Give me your hand." He reaches out to his full length. He suddenly feels his heart clench then as he meets her eyes. It sends a shudder through him and he feels stronger than ever the urge to punch Alejandro in the mouth.

Courtney flounders. She kicks, but goes nowhere. She reaches both hands out desperately toward him. She holds her breath. If she can't take hold of him from here, she will slip back into insanity. Her fingers just barely graze his and she knows it's not enough.

She sucks in a sharp breath and her panic skyrockets. Her heartbeat speeds up tenfold and it's like slick texture covering her body is suddenly so much more concrete. She wails and makes one last push for him.

Scott leans a little farther and they meet halfway. He grips her hand tightly and pulls her back.

Courtney clenches his hand with all her might. She doesn't mean to hurt him, but she can't loosen her grip even as she feels her nails dig deep into his skin. Her mind is frozen in terror, only able enough to focus on the edge of the tub and escape.

Scott grimaces and grits his teeth against the pain she creates. It's not so bad. Really. He brings her all the way to the edge and with one final, powerful tug she goes over the edge and they both topple to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Scott groans lightly. He sits up and rubs his head. "Courtney, are you-" Before he can get it out she cuts him off.

Courtney throws herself at him. She wraps her arms around him so tight it's almost a stranglehold. She presses her body firmly against him and buries her face in his chest. "S-Scott...!" She blubbers. "Oh my God!" Tears stream down her face in a mix of overwhelming relief and lingering terror. "I-It was h-horrible! I-I can still _feel_ it!" She convulses terribly.

Scott carefully wraps an arm around her. Her severe shaking transfers to him and unsettles him greatly. His brows knit together and eyes shine with sympathy as he stares down at the broken mess in his arms. "It's okay." He breathes. He lifts a hand to her face and runs his thumb over her tear stained cheek.

Courtney shudders against his touch. She clings tighter. "I-Is it off?" She squeezes out. She doesn't know right from left in her swelling panic, much less what she's feeling crawling on her skin.

Scott grimaces as his eyes light on green chunks that still cling to her skin. More than anything it's in her hair. "Yeah," He moves a hand to her hair and picks a few pieces out before running his fingers through her matted hair. "It's okay."

Courtney hiccups as her sobs tamper off. "I didn't want to do it," She babbles with a stutter or two. She slips her hold down to his chest around her head and clenches his shirt fiercely. "I-It tried to _swallow_ me."

"It's alright." Scott rubs her back gently. "I'm here. And I'm not letting you go." In the next instant he finds a tune on his lips. He softly hums Clementine, the song he remembers just the other night her telling him was a part of her childhood.

Courtney loosens almost instantly. Her breathing evens out and the pain in her features eases. "I know." She whispers. All her thoughts of mistrust from before are gone. She feels like an idiot for ever doubting him. His touch is enough to convince her of his intentions and his soothing tune only makes it more obvious.

Scott lays a soft kiss on her forehead. He'll never leave her. No matter what Duncan does or anyone does, his feelings won't change. The stares on his back even now make no difference. She's his, for better or for worse.

Duncan stands just to the side. He crosses his arms over his chest and scowls down at the pair. That should be him. It would be him – just a few seasons ago. But now she's gone from him. His heart clenches with the realization, but there's nothing more to be done about it. She's someone else's beautiful mess now.

**So, what did you think? Hopefully it wasn't too reminiscent of the fear challenge in tdi. Also, the Clementine bit only makes sense if you read my other story 'Insomnia'. So go do that. Don't make me send my evil dream team (Aleheather and Scourtney both actually) after you. :P Please review!**


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